Coronavirus Updates
The head of the World Health Organization called the race by wealthier countries to vaccinate their entire populations at the expense of people in poorer countries “grotesque.” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it a “moral outrage” that can be averted. “Countries that are now vaccinating younger, healthy people at low risk of disease are doing so at the cost of the lives of health workers, older people and other at-risk groups in other countries,” he said.
Kenya came under fire from local health workers after it offered free vaccines against the coronavirus to all diplomats based in the country and their families, numbering up to 30,000, despite not vaccinating all of the countries health care workers and elderly. The UN Africa headquarters is located in the capital, Nairobi. The offer was made in a March 18 letter sent by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomatic missions, according to Reuters.
AstraZeneca reported on Monday that its vaccine against the coronavirus was 79% effective in preventing cases of symptomatic COVID-19, including in older people. The study of 30,000 people also found no serious side effects, including no increased risk of blood clots. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been authorized for use in over 70 countries, though its use had been paused in several countries after a small number of recipients developed blood clots. The company plans to file an application with the US Food and Drug Administration.
An Israeli labor court ruled that a school can refuse to allow an unvaccinated employee to come to work. The Tel Aviv court said that the teaching assistant’s personal rights did not outweigh the “duty to care for the well-being of her students, their families and the employees at the educational institution.” The municipal council of the town of Tzur Yigal in central Israel decided to require all school staff members to either vaccinate against the coronavirus or take regular tests in order to enter their schools. The court determined that Sigal Avishai will also not be entitled to receive pay for the missed days of work.
The World Health Organization has determined that the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus is “safe and effective” and does not lead to an increase in blood clots. The WHO findings come on the heels of a similar finding by the European Medicines Agency. Several countries had paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to some reports of blood clots cases among some of its recipients. Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as France, have resumed the use of the vaccine, while Norway, Denmark and Sweden have continued their pause pending more information.
The prime minister of Pakistan tested positive for the coronavirus, two days after getting his first vaccination shot. Prime Minister Imran Khan, 68, received a shot of the Sinopharm vaccine on Thursday. On Saturday his office announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would self-isolate, Al Jazeera reported. He reportedly attended a security conference last week in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, which he addressed without wearing a mask. Pakistan has seen a large increase in cases of the coronavirus.
The Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by former US President Donald Trump was “partially closed” over the weekend after several staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, according to an email sent to members. Among the areas closed are the club’s dining room and at its beach club, The Associated Press reported. Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House in January.
Tourists will not be allowed to attend the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo due to fears of the coronavirus pandemic. The Tokyo Games organizing body made the announcement on Saturday, after consultations with the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, and the International Paralympic Committee. Some one million tickets reportedly were sold to people outside of Japan, and 4.45 million tickets were sold to residents of Japan. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The games are scheduled to begin on July 23.
Moderna will start vaccinating children, to determine if its shot is safe and effective for young people. Some 6,750 volunteers from the Unites States and Canada will be involved in the trial, according to Moderna. Different sized doses will be injected first into children between ages 2 and 11, and then for children ages 6 months to under 24 months. Participants will receive either the vaccine or a saline placebo. The trial will last until June 2023.
The Philippines will close its borders to foreigners and to some retuning nationals from March 20 to April 19, the state coronavirus task force announced. The closure applies to foreign nationals and returning citizens who were not working overseas. Exemptions will be made for foreign government officials, Filipino overseas workers and for emergency cases. The new measures are meant to prevent the entry of new variants of the coronavirus.